Peace for One
by Jasmin34
Summary: Albus kills himself. Follows Harry, Ginny, James, Lily and Scorpius. What are they thinking? One-shot (for now?) Rated T, because I'm paranoid.


**Peace for One**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and probably never will.**

 **A/N: This will only be a 1, maybe 2 chaptered story. The idea bunny just didn't let me go! R &R please!**

 **Chapter 1 A not replaceable Death**

Harry walked into Minerva's office – well actually he ran, with Ginny just behind him. Minerva sat there waiting for them for a sombre expression. No twinkle could be found in her eyes.

'What is it Minerva?' Harry panted, almost screaming. Ginny was as pale as a ghost. 'You said something had happened to Albus, something terrible! You have to tell us!' At this point Harry was almost in hysterics.

Minerva sighed and looked straight at Harry, which made him stop pacing the room. 'Wouldn't you sit down?' Ginny quickly sat down in a chair and Harry sat next to her, even though he didn't want to. Harry took Ginny's hand in his. Harry looked up. 'Well?' he said.

'It is to my severe displeasure to tell youthat…that…' she began. Ginny's eyes briefly met hers and she felt hopelessness and unshed tears in them. Minerva pulled herself together and continued. 'That Albus Severus Potter killed himself in the Slytherin dorms last night.' This was said quickly and quietly.

Ginny's and Harry's reaction were instantaneous. Ginny became out-right white and started crying, squeezing into her husbands hand. 'James?' she asked attentively.

'He doesn't know yet,' answered Minerva quietly. 'We thought you should be the one to break the news.' Harry took his hand out off Ginny's and offered her a handkerchief. Abruptly he stood up, catching them by surprise. Silent tears were flowing freely down his cheeks.

'HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? I THOUGHT THEY WERE SAFE – I…I THOUGHT THEY WERE HAPPY! DON'T EVEN THINK JAMES IS COMING BACK HERE!' he screamed. The portraits on the walls looked shocked, but Harry only had eyes for the one behind Minerva's desk. 'This isn't real, Dumbledore. Tell me it's not real,' he pleaded with the portrait. Dumbledore only looked sadly back at him. 'I'm afraid I can't do that. But Minerva did everything she could.'

'NO SHE DIDN'T!' Harry heard himself screaming again. 'SHE COULD'VE DONE SO MUCH MORE! STOP THE BULLYING, STOP THE ATTEMPT TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE!' Harry gradually became louder. He only stopped when he saw Minerva's tear filled eyes. 'You're right, Harry. We could've done so much more.' Harry calmed down slightly. Ginny looked at him with big eyes. 'We have to tell James and Lily. Figure out a place to…to bury him,' she said devolving in more tears.

'We'll be back,' Harry warned Minerva before leaving the office with Ginny to cope with the death of their son.

 **A month later:**

Harry stood on a hill, looking out on the valley. It was beautiful valley, but Harry couldn't care less. Without Albus in his life everything was grey. Black and white. Everyday was the same. The same routine. But Harry just followed the steps. He wasn't happy. He never smiled. Sometimes he would spend hours sitting somewhere, staring into space. He tried to pull himself together. Ginny needed him. James needed him. Lily needed him. But he couldn't do it.

That's why he stood on this hill. To try and organise his thoughts. To be a better Dad to James and Lily than he had been for Albus. Albus. The name could still strike him unaware. He would then start crying. Crying for his son. Crying for himself.

I should've done better, he thought. I should've made sure he was okay. That he had friends. He should've looked up to me, but I destroyed it. I ruined it. Our relationship. And I never made it up to him.

Harry walked down the hill, coming into the village where they lived. He found he didn't want to walk anymore, so he apparated to Godric's Hollow. From there he walked to the graveyard. He walked past all those, for him, meaningless graves, right to his parents' grave. James and Lily. Next to the grave was Albus' grave. Harry stared at it. Albus Severus Potter. His second son.

What if I had done it differently, Harry thought. What made him kill himself? Was it me?

Hermione and Ginny were at Ginny's house. As they were drinking tea, Hermione tried to make small talk, but Ginny barely answered. Her mind kept wandering to the summer before Albus went to school. The boys had been brothers. They had been a family. She wanted Albus back so bad, it hurt. It always hurt to think of Albus. Mentally she shook herself. She could mourn Albus, but James and Lily needed her - definitely now Harry was drifting away, locked in his own world. Mourning was something she did in her free time. And it was then she realised she wasn't being the best company. Hermione was still mourning for them too! They needed each other.

Ginny started properly talking with Hermione and she could see her friend was delighted to talk like normal. Like nothing had happened. As if we could just forget it. Even though we couldn't.

They talked normally for hours.

James sat on his bed. He stretched his arms and let him fall backwards. He could hear his mother and Aunt Hermione talking. He wanted to scream, to rage! Why was life so unfair! How could they talk like nothing had happened? How, how, how… Those thoughts and many more raced through his head, but deep down he knew his mother was mourning just like him. But she tried not to show it too much, because if she did, who knows what would happen? Gritting his teeth, James started pacing the room. Somewhere deep inside of him, guilt clawed at his stomach. He knew he shouldn't have teased Albus so much about being in Slytherin, but, of course, he never knew _this_ would happen. He was confused, and angry. Would everything be different if I didn't tease him relentlessly, he wondered. I wish I could make everything different. If I could bring Albus back, I could bring Dad back as well. He always got depressed when he saw his father sitting or standing somewhere, unmoving. Staring into space. He got depressed just thinking about it. He let himself fall, face first, on his bed. He rolled off it, until he was spread eagle-eyed on the carpet of the floor. He looked up at the ceiling. He sighed, and wondered once more, why this tragedy had befallen this family.

Lily had had such good fun at Hogwarts! She had been happy, and full of life and laughter.

Now she was the opposite. Sometimes on good days, old Lily made an appearance. Whenever that happened, she could see her Mum smiling and laughing too. It made her happy to see Mum like this, so she tried to stay upbeat. But it didn't work all the time. Sometimes she lay on her bed, crying, for hours. Her mother helped her when she cried. She didn't mind. Everyone cried in this house. Her depressed father, her mother, herself, and even James. But he mostly cried from rage and confusion, and a battle of wars in his head. Even so, she had seen James cry properly.

Lily would play a lot with Rose and Hugo, too forget what had happened for a small, but happy, moment. Lily started walking down the stairs, she was going to ask her mother for a cup of tea. She smiled when she heard her mothers voice.

Scorpius was in the Slytherin dorms, doing homework. It was almost night. With Albus gone, the teasing had been worse and non-stop. They even accused him of 'not doing enough' and said things like 'glad Albus is gone…'. Only the worst bully's said that, but that didn't make Scorpius able to wipe them away. He tried not to cry, that would make him seem weak, but sometimes… Sometimes he did. Finishing his charms essay, he started thinking more. How could he have not seen the signs? He should have been there to stop the suicide attempt. To talk some sense in his best, and only, friend. And now he was gone. And what should he do? That particular thought was the one he carried with him through the night.

 **So that was it! Did you like it? I might do another chapter, but I'm not sure.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


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